


Meanwhile, In Sarasaland

by strawberryrosewood



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Odyssey (Video Game)
Genre: During Canon, Enjoy!, F/F, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Story Takes Place During Super Mario Odyssey, if a game isnt mentioned assume its not canon here, im makin my own canon as i go p much so just, its a peaisy fic not a luaisy fic, ive been hyperfixating on mario, luigi n daisy r exes on good terms but im keepin stuff abt their relationship to a minimum, this is the result
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28787058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberryrosewood/pseuds/strawberryrosewood
Summary: Daisy hears of Peach's most recent kidnapping, but when she hears that she's getting married to Bowser against her will, she decides to take things into her own hands. Taking Luigi with her, she sets out to follow Mario, find Peach, and tell her something she's only just begun to realize.(Tags will be updated as the story progresses ♡)
Relationships: Princess Daisy & Luigi, Princess Daisy/Peach-hime | Peach Toadstool
Comments: 14
Kudos: 13





	1. Off Day

The Sarasaland castle always tended to be quiet on days like these.

Saturdays were always everyone's off day. The day when royal guards could go home and visit with their families, when children could stay home from school, when merchants and shopkeepers would travel abroad only to return home in the following week, carrying with them trinkets and baubles from far away lands. On Saturdays, everyone got to take a break in one way or another.

And, thankfully, that included their ruler, too.

Currently, Princess Daisy- having just gotten up not too long ago and still in her pajamas- was bringing her freshly brewed cup of Chai tea up to her room on the third floor. Tucked underneath her arm was a package of something-or-other, sent to her by the distant Luncheon Kingdom after her meeting with their leaders on Wednesday. Their food was always incredible, so she couldn't care less what they had brought her; she probably would've loved it either way. She made a mental note to return something back to them soon- perhaps some rare flower seeds, or something of that sort- but she put it out of her mind for now. It was her day off, and she was going to relax.

As she walked into her room, the quietness of the castle amplifying her steps, she sat down in the floor against a large, yellow armchair, set down her items, and leaned back.

Today was going to be good, she thought to herself.

And then she turned on the TV situated in her room, and those thoughts were squashed promptly.

… Well, kind of, anyways.  
The TV was on _Channel Dolphin,_ a news channel, where the two Piantas who served as news anchors were discussing the recent events. Daisy took one look at the red breaking news banner across the bottom of the screen and immediately frowned.

**PRINCESS TOADSTOOL KIDNAPPED: MARIO'S LOCATION UNKNOWN**

The princess's shoulders slumped at once. Poor Peach, she thought to herself, sipping her tea. Daisy had been kidnapped all of one time, and it was, in a word, awful. She wouldn't wish it upon her worst enemy, let alone her best friend. She couldn't imagine what it was like to be kidnapped every few months, doomed to wait for a hero to come or for your life to be at the mercy of a monster.

… But, on the other hand, she'd seen this enough times to know how it would go. Even with the daunting idea of Mario being missing in action, she knew how it would all end; Bowser would be defeated, Peach would be returned home, Mario would be hailed as a hero, and everything would be fine.

Everything would be fine.

As she opened her package from the Luncheon Kingdom, she began to actually tune into what the news was saying about the Princess's umpteenth kidnapping.

"...well, here's the thing, Rita," another Pianta was saying, still discussing the circumstances with his co-host. "We aren't sure of Bowser's plans as of yet, so its hard to make any predictions as to where Mario is, let alone _why_ the Princess has been taken this time! For all we know, she could be in _space_ again!

"I doubt it's that _again,"_ Rita stated. "Eyewitnesses claim that the princess was taken in the middle of a visit with Mario at the Castle, where an airship descended upon the two before Bowser came out, took the princess, and left. I've heard a few people say Mario just barely managed to get on board before it took off. After that, no one knows what happened."

"Rita, I hate to interrupt that thought, but we just got some news from the Koopa Kingdom itself," the other anchor began, holding a hand to the earpiece beside his head.

Daisy, midway through a bite of a banana poppy seed muffin, sat forward in anticipation.

"This just in; officials from the Koopa Kingdom have confirmed that Bowser is, in fact, planning to marry the Princess within the week. There is still no confirmation on Mario's location, but a few reports from the town of Bonneton …"

Daisy stopped paying attention pretty soon after that. Something about the idea of Peach being married to Bowser made her stomach churn. It was silly; Mario would win, Bowser would lose, and Peach would come back safe. She knew that to be true; it was what always happened.

But something about the situation made Daisy uneasy, and she couldn't tell why. She worried for Peach, sure, but she was never this concerned over an incident involving Bowser. Inevitably, her mind began to wander; Mario hadn't yet been found, and no one knew where he was. What if he was too late? What if he was hurt, and couldn't stop this from happening?

Relax, she told herself. That won't happen.

 _But it could,_ said something in the back of her mind.

If Peach got married to Bowser, what would happen? The other kingdoms were too afraid to mess with the affairs of situations like this; they always left it to the Mushroom Kingdom to sort out on its own. 

Daisy tossed her half-eaten muffin back into its package and stood up, doing her best to block the news out from her mind. She paced around her room, unable to get this out of her mind. _What if she gets married? What if she's stuck with him? What if Mario can't help? What if, what if, what if_ _…_

God, what was wrong with her? She was never one to worry like this, let alone about Peach. Today was supposed to be her day to relax, to take a break, to forget foreign affairs like these for a day. 

But she wasn't concerned about Peach as a fellow Princess, she was concerned about her as her friend. 

She needed to talk to someone, she decided. She needed to voice her concerns, and figure out why she was freaking out so much, and then fix it and calm down about all of this. And _then_ everything would be fine.

… But who could she talk to in a situation like this? She usually discussed things like this with Peach, but she was obviously off the table. It wasn't like she could go to a castle steward or a royal guard and talk about these things.

Vaguely, in the back of her mind, she considered talking to Luigi. They'd been close for years, and they had talked about things like this in the past.

…But that wouldn't work, either. She needed to talk to someone _different_ from her, but also _similar._ She needed someone quiet, someone logical, someone who could understand where she was coming from unlike anyone else…

Just like that, Daisy stopped pacing in her tracks. She knew exactly who she could go to, and she even knew where she was and how to get there.

Grabbing her cup of tea and downing it in a hurry, she ran into her closet at once, feet skidding on the marble floor as she slid to a stop. She would have to wear royal garb, unfortunately; if she didn't she would never hear the end of it from the rest of the Sarasaland Royal family, let alone the dozens of tabloids out in the kingdom. It wasn't like she could hide; she'd tried that once, when she was younger, to blend into the crowd and not draw attention to herself. It didn't work.

If she was going to be caught sneaking into the Mushroom Palace, she at least wanted the excuse of being there on Royal business, if it came to it.

Slipping on her yellow and orange dress and placing her crown on her head, she headed out the door, out of the palace, and towards the Mushroom Kingdom.


	2. Stealth Level

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a muuuch longer chapter than chapter one, and I'm planning for chapter 3 to be the same. Thank you to everyone who has kudosed, commented, and bookmarked this so far.
> 
> Spoilers for the ending Super Mario Galaxy. I am not considering Super Mario Galaxy 2 as canon in this fic. Thanks for reading <3

Getting into the castle wasn't going to be easy, and Daisy knew it.

She barely even had to imagine what it would be like when she got there; she'd seen it before, a long time ago, when she had tried to enter the castle to retrieve something she had left before Peach's then-recent kidnapping, only to be turned away and told not to come back either until the princess had returned, or until she came back with Mario or Luigi's- as they had told her, verbatim- _express permission._

Toads would litter the castle grounds, forbidding anyone that didn't have direct association with Mario from entering the palace. They would probably be stationed in every corridor, every stairwell, every nook and cranny they could find. She couldn't blame them, of course; their princess had just been taken away to god-knows-where, so of course they'd want to make sure there weren't any Goombas or Koopa Kingdom wizards lingering around. They couldn't trust just any person to enter the castle at the risk of letting an ally to Bowser into their keep. But she'd be lying if she said it didn't frustrate her in her current mission. For star's sake, she was a _princess,_ a fellow regent and an ally to the Mushroom Kingdom, but if she didn't have a Mario brother with her...

She stewed in her anger at this, briefly, then took a deep breath. She needed to be measured, toned down, under control. She could think about her issues with the kingdom's overdependence on Mario later. Right now, she needed to figure out her plan.

Her ideas of how to get in the castle, as of now, were, in a word, vague. She knew she would have to avoid any of the Toads around the castle, or otherwise risk being discovered and sent home. They wouldn't hurt her, she knew, but it would take only one of them catching sight of her before every last one of them was shrieking at the intruder in the castle.

She could take the back way, where the garden was, or perhaps she could sneak into the castle courtyard, assuming she could scale the wall. Maybe she could get onto the roof, and figure something out from there.

As she strolled through the sandy Sarasaland streets, she caught sight of the warp pipes that would lead to the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom, located at the end of the lane within an ornate, sandstone structure that encompassed the area perfectly for those looking to travel. From there, she would have to travel on foot towards the castle, sneak in, find what she was looking for, and get out without raising suspicion.

At least she knew exactly where it would be, even after all these years.

* * *

_It had been four days since Peach had returned home._

_Or, at least, that's what everyone said. Whenever Daisy tried to think back on the last four days, everything came in a blur. It was as if, one moment, she was just receiving news of Bowser's plan to create a new world at the center of the universe, discussing the subsequent disappearance of the Mushroom Castle, the princess, and Mario with her advisors, and the next, everything was.. fine. The star festival- which she could have_ sworn _had just taken place a few days ago- was being rescheduled for another day. As the astrologists had put it, they had_ "significantly miscalculated" _the date of the comet's appearance, and were working with the Mushroom Kingdom accordingly to get things back on track. It was like nothing had ever happened at all._

_But Peach had sent a letter asking Daisy to stop by, saying that she had, quote, "wanted to discuss some things after her return from Bowser's clutches," so Daisy knew something had happened, anyway._

_In a way, she felt extremely detached from the situation. She felt like an outsider, unaware of something big happening right before her eyes. She was sure Peach would clear these feelings up went she met with her._

_As she walked towards the castle, she noticed how strangely patched up everything looked. She'd heard that meteors had rained down upon Bowser's command, that the ground had been littered with seemingly unbreakable crystal structures, that the castle had been ripped from its very foundation and taken into the sky. And yet, she could see no damage to the castle grounds. There wasn't even a crack in its foundation. It was all so.. weird._

_When she got to the castle doors, a pair of red Toads led her into the castle and up towards the second floor._

_"The princess is on the balcony," one of them said, pointing at an arched doorway some ways from where Daisy currently stood. She could see moonlight spilling in from the crack in the doors._

_Daisy headed towards the archway, heels clicking on the checkerboard floor, and opened the door to find Peach there, just as she was told. She was looking out of a telescope into the starry sky, and Daisy could tell she was entranced by whatever she was viewing. Her shoulders were slack, her lips pursed in concentration as she adjusted the device; she didn't even notice Daisy had made her way onto the balcony._

_She stepped next to Peach, tilting her head as the princess remained in her hyperfocused state. "Uhh, hellooooo? Earth to Peach?"_

_At her unceremonious greeting, Peach had jumped, looking up at her at once with wide, startled eyes. In hindsight, Daisy wished she had given some sort of apologetic grin, or something along those lines; her friend always seemed to get so jumpy after being returned home. Even if the thought had crossed her mind, however, she probably wouldn't have gotten the chance to anyways._

_Realizing who was next to her, Peach immediately beamed, her eyes lighting up with absolute joy. She dove forwards and enveloped Daisy in a tight hug that nearly knocked her off of her feet. As she got her bearings and hugged back, Daisy grinned to herself at the gesture. That was another thing about Peach; she tended to get more affectionate with people after these sorts of things, too. She always had a thousand things to say and to show you, and she didn't want to waste a moment, lest she lose the chance in the future. In a strange, semi-concerning way, it was sweet._

_When Peach pulled away, she frowned, her brows furrowing a little in concern. "I'm so sorry, Daisy! I didn't mean to ignore you like that, I had no idea--"_

_"Peach, its fine," Daisy assured, still smiling at the other princess. "I get it! You were busy with your, uh..." She struggled to search for the word for a bit. "Doohickey."_

_"It's not a doohickey, its a telescope!" Peach chirped in response._

_"A telephone?"_

_"Tele-_ scope," _she repeated, before simply shaking her head and turning her gaze towards the sky. "You can see the Koopa Major out tonight, and I've been tracking it ever since I've gotten back; the next time we'll be able to see it will be nearly a month out from now!"_

_Daisy blinked. "I... uh. I think I'm lost- you're following the koopa-what now?"_

_"The-"_

_Peach hesitated, then simply moved aside and gestured to the telescope. "Here, I can show you better than I can explain it."_

_Daisy paused, gingerly stepping up to the device and looking through it as the princess waited expectantly._

_After a bit, she asked, "Well? What do you see?"_

_"Uh... stars. Like, real stars, the ones in the sky."_

_"Anything else?"_

_"Um... oh! If I squint, I can kinda see a koopa shell! And, uh... huh."_

_Peach raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"_

_"I've never noticed this, but some stars are, like.. bigger. I thought they were all the same. And-- and some of them have color."_

_"I know, right?" Peach chirped back. As Daisy looked at her, she could see the wonder, the utter excitement in her eyes. She was entranced by these things, she needed to know more, to see more, to share in her excitement with someone else. Even though Daisy failed to see it the way she could, she would've sat there staring at the sky for hours if it meant making Peach happy._

_Shimmying over to Daisy's side, she pointed out into the sky, wrapping an arm around her instinctively. "See that big green one? That's the Rolling Green Galaxy, and- and that purple one, over there? That's the Deep Dark Galaxy, and next to it is the Melty Molton Galaxy!"_

_"Those names are.. real creative," Daisy joked, before gazing out into the deep night herself. She could see so many distinct stars just from here. "I wonder how many galaxies there are out there."_

_"Dozens!" Peach answered immediately. "The universe is so much larger than I expected-- there may be galaxies and planets we don't even know about yet!"_

_It was a weird thought, imagining such a vast world beyond her own. Peach had seen so much, and had become so obsessed. She couldn't fathom what it was like for her._

_"With so many galaxies out there, I wonder if there's another princess we don't know about."_

_She had said it as a joke, so when Peach replied, "Oh, there is!," it took her a second to recognize the lack of sarcasm in her voice._

_"There-- there is?" She asked, incredulously. "Who?"_

_Peach then paused, hesitated; she pursed her lips, and tapped her heels in thought._

_"...Daisy," she said, finally. "Let me show you something."_

_Before Daisy could ask what she meant, Peach had grabbed her hand and was already dragging her away from the balcony and down the castle steps. Wondering what exactly was going on, she was brought to the ground floor and, finally, into the castle courtyard. There was dim light all around them, mostly coming from the Star-shaped fountain in the middle of the area. Peach had let go of her hand, and was heading towards the wall directly across from them. She was looking for something, Daisy noticed._

_As Peach searched, she glanced at the fountain, looking at the plaque beneath its structure. The words had been washed away with time, and she could no longer tell what it may have once said. This courtyard was old, Daisy thought, vaguely._

_"Psst," Peach whispered, snapping Daisy out of her thoughts at once. Her back was facing the wall, and she held her hands behind her. She seemed to be rocking on her feet, as if she couldn't stand still anymore._

_When she had gotten her attention, Peach simply grinned, waved at Daisy, and stepped back, sinking into the stone wall at once._

_If Daisy had been younger, or if she hadn't known Peach for so long, she would have freaked out right then and there. But Daisy had known Peach for years, and she knew that she_ loved _secret corridors in her castle._

_Daisy headed towards the wall, placing her hand on its surface to check for the entrance until it finally went through. The surface shimmered, and she could feel it ripple around her wrist._

_She stepped through into a long stairwell, one with ornate, red carpet on the floor and white pillars supporting the ceiling as it descended into the ground. This was a new addition to the castle, and she could tell._

_Making her way down, deeper into the corridor, she found Peach standing at the floor, waiting for her friend with clearly mounting anticipation._

_"Alright," Daisy began, "so, you've dragged me down here with no prompting and no explanation."_

_"Mhm!"_

_"In the middle of the night."_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"Through a secret entrance that no one else probably knows about?"_

_"Go on."_

_"Am I about to be kidnapped?"_

_"Not unless you want one staged," Peach answered, holding out her hand for Daisy to take._

_From there, they walked down the long corridor, with Daisy's intrigue mounting every second._

_"You never answered me, you know," she began, glancing at some of the carvings etched into the ceiling. It had been made to look like an observatory of some kind, with psuedo-constellations serving as the main light source for the room._

_"I didn't?" Peach replied. It sounded more like an acknowledgement than a question._

_"Yeah. Who's ruling over all of those galaxies?" She paused. "...It isn't, like, Waluigi or something, right?"_

_"Her name is Rosalina," Peach clarified, "And I'm ninety-five percent sure she isn't Waluigi."_

_They both laughed at that, before Daisy continued. "Well, what's Rosalina like?"_

_"She's..." Peach hesitated. "...quiet. But she's wonderful. I've never met anyone like her before. It's hard to explain."_

_Daisy felt something ache in her chest just then, but she disregarded it almost immediately. Peach continued._

_"She's powerful, yet kind. She helped Mario save me. According to her, she watches over and takes care of the stars."_

_"All of them?"_

_"I think so. It's so hard to explain. You'll have to meet her one day, Daisy."_

_For a while, they were both quiet, with only the clicking of their shoes to fill the silence. Daisy could see the end of the corridor ahead._

_"How long until you invite her to the next kart tournament?"_

_Peach gave her a playful shove, and they both laughed at that again._

_The corridor ended in a pair of large, wooden doors that opened as they stepped near them. Outside was a simple, grassy area, full of trees, bushes and shrubbery. It looked crowded, unkempt. It almost seemed like it was unfinished._

_And then she saw it._

_Beyond the greenery was a gentle, pulsating glow of illumination that stuck out in the darkness of the night._

_Daisy didn't even ask what was there. She dove through branches and vines and finally landed in a small clearing where the source of the light came from._

_Before her was a bright, orange, star-shaped thing that glittered and shifted where it stood. It looked like a portal of some kind, or maybe some sort of sling shot, if she thought about it hard enough. When she slowly held out a hand towards it, she could feel it pull her in, as if it had some sort of gravity to it._

_"I probably wouldn't touch that if I were you," Peach warned from behind her. She hadn't even heard her walk into the clearing._

_Retracting her hand and taking a few considerable steps back, Daisy asked, "What... what is that thing?"_

_"It's a launch star," Peach replied, stepping a bit closer to it and turning towards the other. "It's a gift from Rosalina. According to her, launch stars can take people across galaxies, and across planets, regardless of distance. This one," she started, gesturing towards it, "goes straight to the Comet Observatory, where Rosalina lives."_

_"So... it's like those paintings you had?" Daisy asked, trying to find some explanation in what she was seeing. "Where- where you just, jump in, and it takes you somewhere else?"_

_"...Well, not exactly. Think of it," said Peach, "as a mix between a roller coaster ride, and a warp pipe."_

_Daisy could picture that, kind of. She eased up a bit, anyways._

_"So... it's like, an invitation to visit, almost?"_

_"Kind of, yeah. You know, I'd love to take you to meet Rosalina one day. The comet observatory is beautiful."_

_Daisy glanced at Peach, then back at the launch star. It was so outside of the world Daisy was used to, a foreign device, that which she lacked familiarity with like Peach did._

_Unless the princess wanted her to, she decided that she would never, ever use one of these in her life. Not if she had anything to say about it._

_Realizing she had been quiet all this time, she finally replied, "That... sounds nice. Maybe one day, yeah?"_

_"Yeah," Peach replied, giving Daisy a smile that made her heart flutter in her chest._

_"Thanks for coming here with me. I've really wanted to show this to someone ever since I got it.."_

_Peach took Daisy's hand, leading her out of the clearing and back towards the castle corridor._

_"Yeah," Daisy said, looking up into the night sky once more. "Anytime."_

* * *

By the time she had made her way into the Mushroom Kingdom, Daisy had some semblance of a plan.

She stuck to alleyways and shadowed corners, to empty back streets and uninhabited walkways. She didn't want to be seen, lest word make its way to the castle. Any risks she could think of were risks she didn't want to take.

She took the long way to the castle, weaving through Mushroom-shaped houses and avoiding the eyes of citizens everywhere she went. She thought back to when she was a kid, when she would sneak out of the castle and run through the streets all day until a guard caught her and sent her back home. It was her favorite game, seeing how long it took for anyone to notice her absence, let alone find her as she jumped across sandstone rooftops and sky-high palm trees.

It wasn't long until she could see the spires of the Mushroom Palace, just a little ways off in the distance. From the little bakery she was currently hiding behind, she could hear toads having nearby conversations. She didn't have time to eavesdrop, though. Her mind was set on three things; the castle, the launch star, and Peach.

…

Peach…

She hoped she was okay.

Crossing the little clearing and keeping to the shadows of the trees, Daisy began to head towards the castle.

Now, here's the thing. Peach was known to have multiple castles, all for different purposes depending on where they were. There was one solely for her art, and another specifically for ceremonies, and god knows how many more. The one she was heading to now was located just a little ways away from the town square, and was known as the one she actually lived in. 

Since the first time Daisy saw the launch star, the castle had gone through all sorts of modifications to its exterior, manifesting primarily as a massive increase in the amount of foliage in the castle. Rose vines crawled up marble columns, adding well-needed color against the ivory white of the castle; peonies, carnations, and hibiscuses hung against castle windowsills; azaleas and cherry blossoms framed the pathway from the town to the castle. On any other day, Daisy would spent hours gushing about how good it looked, how you could tell how much care and thought had been put into the garden. She would've kept the fact that Peach had asked her what flowers to use and how to use them, instead opting to point out her friend's accomplishments instead.

But right now, as she hid within the bushes and the shadows of the trees, she was really, really regretting having suggested Peach put a _maze_ in between the castle pathway and the entrance.

Well, 'maze' wasn't the best descriptor for it, actually. It was a series of hedges outlining paths that either lead to the castle entrance, the castle lake, the path back into the town square, or towards a street that would eventually lead into Toad Harbor. In the middle, semi-enclosed by more hedges, was a magnolia tree; a gift directly from Sarasaland, given to the princess during their very first tennis tournament together where Daisy had made her debut into the public eye. 

The white escallonia hedges enclosed the area in just the right way, where if Daisy made one wrong turn she'd be face to face with a royal guard, ruining her plans immediately. She would have to be clever if she didn't want to get caught.

She thought, again, to when she was a kid. If _she_ had been in this situation when she was younger, she knew exactly what she would have done.

She watched as a guard strolled, slowly, past the entrance to the area. When he had cleared her sight, she stepped into the enclosed area, stepping on the edge of her shoes as to not make a sound. she kept near his back at a distance, all the way until she had made it into the pathway that lead towards the castle entrance. She hid behind the hedgery again, taking a moment of respite before rushing over and peeking within the castle doors.

No one was guarding the entrance, but she could see toads patrolling the stairs nearby. The entrance to the courtyard was just beyond the right-wing stairs...

Every few seconds, the toads would turn their backs as they headed up the stairs again. She'd have to use that little slot of time to make it to her destination, and from there, she'd be home-free.

As soon as they turned their backs, she slipped in, ran through the main room in long, light-footed steps, and swiftly entered through the courtyard door, making sure it shut with no audible slam or latch. She relaxed instantly, and turned her back on the door. Her heart was racing, but she didn't know why; it wasn't exactly hard to slip by the toads. But, then again, if she had risked it...

She sighed, looking out into the unlit courtyard. There were no guards, and there were no exits besides the door she just came through. To them, there was no reason to protect this room. She silently thanked Peach for having royal guards that were this easily fooled.

She rushed over to the furthest wall, sliding her hand along the cool, white bricks until her hand went through it. As she stepped in, she could feel the wall ripple around her.

It was exactly how she remembered it. As she ran down the steps, beginning the long trek towards the launch star, she came to realize something.

One, the place hadn't changed a bit since the first time she'd seen it. It was still dimly lit by the pseudo-constellation sky within the ceiling, the carpet still remained the same even after Peach's recent remodelings... This place hadn't been touched in all these years. Maybe this was more secret that she'd initially realized.

Two, without Peach there to talk with, the corridor felt a thousand times longer. Looking ahead, she could barely see the light peering out from the door at the end of the hallway.

She sighed, dragging herself along as she began to think to herself for a bit.

She thought back to the low security of the castle, and how easy it had been to sneak inside. Sure, she wasn't looking to _kidnap_ someone, but it seemed waaay too easy. But, then again, it made a bit of sense: Peach loved her subjects, and that meant that she loved her guards. She would have never forgiven herself if one of them genuinely got hurt trying to protect her. The less guards there are, the less casualties can take place. Sometimes, Daisy thought, Peach was just too kindhearted for her own good.

God, Peach. She thought back to what brought her here in the first place, and she thought about how much time had elapsed between then and now. Who knows what was going on right this very minute? Was she okay? What if Mario was still M.I.A.? What if Bowser just cut to the chase already? What if--

She cursed at herself, silently. She was acting so irrationally, so out of character for herself. She never worried about Peach like this, and that bothered her, and that's why she was here, travelling down the world's longest corridor just to talk to a fellow Princess on the subject.

She'd met Rosalina before, of course. She seemed quiet, reserved, out of place, at times. She didn't seem nearly as spectacular as Peach had set her up to be. The only spectacular thing she saw about Rosalina was her dress (it wasn't Daisy's style, but she still thought it was pretty), her height (as she towered over most people), and the little star creature that floated at her side at times. Lumie, she tried to recall.

Otherwise, she was normal. But she'd never met her in her domain, so who knows? Maybe she was different there.

She seemed kind enough to listen to another princess, if only for a bit. And that's all Daisy needed; for someone to listen, for a bit.

She reached the end of the hallway, and she walked through the opening doors and entered the clearing outside of the exit. The vegetation had grown wilder over the years; the trees grew higher, vines climbed their trunks, and the floor was littered with overgrown grass and wildflowers.

She couldn't see the glow of the launch star in the daylight, but she could feel its pull, even from this distance. She stepped into the trees, dodging and ducking under branches, until she entered the clearing once more.

The leaves created a shadow over the clearing, drawing even more attention to the luminescent anomaly in front of her. It looked completely pristine, as if time hadn't nor could affect it at all.

She stepped closer, feeling that dread and fear set back in from all that time ago. She had no idea what this thing did, let how to activate it. What if it malfunctioned? Was it really worth it just to talk to another princess?

…

Peach trusted Rosalina, Daisy thought. If Peach herself asked Daisy to try it out, she would have in a heartbeat. 

She trusted Peach, so therefore, she trusted the launch star.

As she stepped closer, its pull finally grabbed hold of her, dragging her into its very center as it turned and shifted in what she could only describe as anticipation. Her feet lifted off the ground as she hung there, unsure of what to do next.

She looked up, seeing a little gap in the trees where it seemed to be aiming towards. Beyond that was blue sky, and beyond that, she didn't know.

But she'd find out soon.

"Ooo-kay, launch star," she said, as if it could hear her, "I'm gonna be honest, I don't really know how to use you. I-- I'm gonna need some help."

She felt the star shifting and turning faster, as if it understood.

"I.. I need to find Princess Rosalina. Can you take me there?"

The star turned faster at that, sparkled and glowed brighter than she'd ever seen it before. She had to look away from how blinding it was up close.

"Okay," she said, looking up into the sky. "Whenever you're ready."

The star calibrated in one quick motion, setting her into place at once. She closed her eyes, telling herself that it would just be like a roller coaster, mixed with a warp pipe, and that everything would be fine.

The star launched, and she was sent into the sky, across the atmosphere, and among the stars.


	3. Astrophobia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoilers for super mario galaxy (again), especially regarding rosalinas backstory. daisy also almost has a panic attack and theres some yelling + swearing down the line, so if youre sensitive to that, please be careful. (There are also some mentions to Super Paper Mario in here but you dont have to know that games story to read this kldjfkgjkfgd)
> 
> thank you to everyone who has commented, kudosed, and followed this story thus far <3

Daisy didn't open her eyes for a long time after that.

She could hear the air rushing past her ears, her skirt fluttering in the wind as she flew ever higher into the sky. Her arms stretched out to her sides instinctively, and she could feel herself slowly spinning as she traveled what she hoped to be a predetermined path, rather than a free-fall through the abyss of space. Wherever she was going, she was going there faster than any kart, warp pipe, or roller coaster had ever taken her before. 

The thought of where she was going- where she _had_ to go to find Rosalina- was enough to instill a deep sense of dread within her. For all of her boldness and bravery, she had to admit that nothing truly unsettled her more than space. Ever since the incident with Tatanga, almost anything that came from space- and, by extension, space itself- was dangerous. She could handle a conversation about the stars and the planets with no problem, and she could definitely handle a Rainbow Road here and there, sure, but that was a controlled environment: nothing could enter the course without verification, there was always a solid ground beneath her wheels, and Lakitu was always there to help drivers back onto the course if they fell off. Here, she was by herself with no ground, no safety-net, and no friends to steel her nerves. She was alone, and she was afraid.

At some point, her skirt stopped flailing around her legs, and instead floated within its usual bell shape, as if it had decided on its own that the wind could no longer affect it. She slowed somewhat, and she could feel the path of the launch star taking her towards a specific direction as she entered the cosmos. She could still hear air rushing past her ears, but now, remarkably, she could hear something else, too. It was distant, and quiet, and she felt as though the moment she were to open her eyes, it would all disappear into the abyss before her.

She could hear twinkling, and something she could only describe as squeaks of happiness off in the distance. It sounded... cheerful. It sounded like joy, and hope, and she couldn't for the life of her tell where it was coming from. It seemed to be above her, and below her, and far away and right next to her all at once. The sound surrounded her, and she felt as though she could relax a bit with it there.

At some point, a thought crossed Daisy's mind; perhaps these were the voices of Rosalina's subjects, or perhaps they were the voices of the stars themselves. If a star could talk, she thought, she guessed it would sound close to this. Maybe she could ask Rosalina when she got there, assuming she could ever even find her on such short notice. She hoped she could find a map in her kingdom.

She felt like she had been traveling for too long now, and she began to felt so utterly, miserably homesick for Sarasaland. She would have given anything to be within the kingdom's sandy streets, or among the flowers of the royal garden instead of here, floating through the endless expanse of outer space

She heard the distant twinkling grow louder, more excited as she drew nearer towards her destination. She had no idea what to expect Rosalina's home to be, but she at least hoped that she could find her castle when she got there. Maybe she would have to ask some of the locals when she finally landed.

Suddenly, the gravity of the launch star pulled her right-side up into a flip, and she hit the ground feet-first onto some sort of hollow, metal floor that shook as she landed. She wasn't hurt, of course, although she felt dizzy and a tiny bit lightheaded from her journey. She could feel vertigo setting in, and it brought her to her knees at once. Even with closed eyes, she could tell everything was remarkably bright here- a stark contrast from the absolute darkness of her world just earlier.

A hand flew to her head as a headache began to set in, and she began to wonder if that was just an aspect of launch star travel in general or if it only affected someone as inexperienced in this sort of thing as her.

Face turned to the floor, she slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the absolute brightness around her and ignoring just how much it intensified her headache. Below her was some sort of metal floor, just as she thought from the sound it had made upon impact, and surrounding it was a metal grate of some kind. She registered that it was some sort of designated landing spot, and that was all the thought she gave to it from there.

She managed to get to her feet, although she wished she had something to hang on to as she was still reeling from the affects of her travel. But that was the hard part, and here was the harder part; figuring out how to traverse a foreign kingdom, of which she never stepped foot in before. 

When she finally looked up at the world before her, it immediately took her breath away.

She realized things as her eyes set on them, and the first thing she saw was the sphere of blinding, blue light at the center of the vessel that left multicolored imprints on her retinas when she averted her eyes. The second thing she saw were the sources of the sounds she'd been hearing all this time.

Before her- amidst a small, wildflower-covered section of grass- were stars. Not big, bright balls of helium or tiny, distant specks of light or even the power-up kind-- these were living, star-shaped beings that danced and played and floated and laughed among this kingdom.

…Upon further look, actually, Daisy came to realize this wasn't a kingdom, nor was it a planet, nor a castle. It was a space ship, with living accommodations for its inhabitants. Just from where she was standing, she could see a kitchen, a bathhouse, a garden, a bedroom...

This place was insane. Daisy had never seen anything like it before, and it both fascinated and terrified her. Surrounding this little pocket of light was abyss, and stars, and no sign of the planet she'd came from. Her breathing began to quicken, and she began to wish, desperately, that this was just a bad dream, that she'd never made the decision to come here and that Peach was safe and it was her one day off and she was drinking Chai tea in her room and nothing was wrong and she was in Sarasaland and she was safe and Peach was safe and--

"Excuse me?"

Daisy jumped, backing away a bit on instinct but stopping herself given there weren't exactly guardrails (or Lakitus) on this ship. Her eyes were wide, her pupils like pinpricks, and her fists were balled at her side, but as soon as she saw what was in front of her, she managed to relax a bit.

It was one of those stars she'd seen before, but where the ones she'd seen were all yellow or maybe pink, this one was an ivory color. Whatever these little things were, they didn't seem malicious in the slightest. 

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you!" The star squeaked out. Its voice was high pitched and soft, just like the laughter she heard in her travels here.

Daisy swallowed, and tried to calm herself down, burying her fears deep within her. "Um. Sorry," she began. "I'm just.. on edge. I'm not used to, uh..." She gestured vaguely towards the blackness surrounding them that she now refused to face.

"That's okay, you'll get used to it in no time!" The star assured. "Who are you?"

"P- Princess Daisy?"

"Hi, Princess Daisy!" The star chirped back. "That's a very pretty name! I'm Luma!"

Luma. In her panic, she'd _completely_ forgot about the little star creatures that once accompanied Rosalina during tournaments. She used to bring them to races, but in recent years that stopped, given some changes to the rules at Toadsworth's discretion. She thought they were cute, but she hadn't actively thought about them in years.

She exhaled softly, taking a step towards Luma as she began to calm down. Seeing something she could recognize and make some- if little- sense of steeled her nerves a bit. "Hi, Luma. You wouldn't know where Rosalina is, would you?"

In response, they twinkled and brightened and twirled in excitement. "Yes, yes! I know exactly where Mama is!"

For a second, Daisy thought about making a joke regarding how much Rosalina and the Lumas looked alike. Instead, she asked, "Where is she?"

"I saw her in the library just a few minutes ago," they said, moving away and pointing to a dark area a little ways from where they both were currently. "You should still be able to find her there, but if you can't, I'll help you look for her!"

Daisy smiled a little at that. "Thanks, Luma."

"Anytime, Princess Daisy!"

"You can just call me Daisy, y'know."

"Okay, Miss Daisy!"

And with that, they flew off back to their friends nearby. Their interaction- however brief it had been- had done wonders in calming her down, at least enough to not fall into the anxiety attack she'd been on the verge of. If she had the time, she would have loved to talk to the other Lumas on the ship. She didn't know how to explain it, but they made her feel... tranquil, almost. She could see why Rosalina seemed so close to them.

She walked off of the metal platform, past the grassy area, and towards the section containing the ship's library. The library had no door, so she instead knocked on the mahogany frame instead.

"Do come in!"

It took a few, heavy seconds of silence for her to receive an answer. The voice that called to her wasn't Rosalina's; from its tone, she could tell it was a Luma, but... different. Their voice was deeper, and they sounded older, if that was even possible.

The library itself used dark wood exclusively, giving the room a rustic, homely feeling as she stepped inside. Besides the doorway were two potted plants that she couldn't recognize, and she could see a brick fireplace just across from that. Bookshelves embedded themselves in the walls, and books filled every possible space they offered. Within the middle of the room upon a red, star-patterned carpet was an old rocking chair, where Rosalina currently sat; across from her were two ottomans, and floating above one was a unique-looking Luma. This one was the color of soot, and she was sure they would have blended into the walls if it weren't for their bright blue eyes. Daisy got the impression that Rosalina had been discussing something with them.

A number of Lumas were in the room as well; some could be found near the circular ceiling, or near the shelved walls, but most of them hung around Rosalina specifically. She was completely unbothered by their close presence, even as they chirped and squeaked around her.

As soon as Daisy entered, the room seemed to fall silent. They all looked at her, and she found herself wanting to shrink into the mahogany walls. Rosalina looked at her with mild surprise; the Lumas seemed generally excited and intrigued about their new visitor; and the Luma across from Rosalina seemed the most bewildered of all of them.

They exchanged a look with Rosalina, and they seemed to soften a little at that. Daisy could tell they were having one of those silent conversations, driven only by visible emotion and a complex understanding of the other person.

Finally, Rosalina spoke. "Polari, I believe I have some catching up to do with Princess Daisy. Do you mind--"

"Of course not!" The Luma responded at once. It was the same voice that had beckoned her inside. They began to head towards the doorway, and Daisy moved aside for them awkwardly. "Come on, everyone, this way! Orderly fashion, this isn't a race...."

Soon enough, the only people left in the library were her and Rosalina.

Daisy failed to say anything that would clarify the situation at hand, but Rosalina didn't seem to mind in the slightest. She gestured to one of the ottomans across from her.

"Please, sit. It's nice to see you again, Daisy."

"Uh… yeah, you too, Rosie," she said, taking up her request. She could see something clasped in the other's hands, but she didn't give much thought to it. 

For a bit, they just.. sat there, in heavy silence that made Daisy shift uneasily in her seat and seemed to leave Rosalina unperturbed. 

"Well," she began, smiling gently at Daisy, "I can tell you have a lot to say, anyways."

"I'm sorry, Rosie, I just-- I'm not really sure where to start. By the way, sorry for, uh… dropping in like this."

"Any friend of Mario and Peach is welcome in my domain," she assured. "You don't have to apologize. But I am, admittedly, curious. How did you get here?"

"Launch star. You gave one to Peach, like, forever ago. It's still in her castle."

"Ah." 

She glanced at the fire place beside them. "Forgive me for my forwardness, but is something wrong? You've never been one to come here before."

Daisy took a deep breath in. "Ooooh boy, yeah, something's wrong. Don't worry, though!" She added upon seeing the other's concerned, almost frightened reaction. "Everything is under control. This is, like, a personal issue."

Rosalina appeared to think on this for a bit. "I'm happy to listen, but if I may ask, why come to me, specifically? Aren't you and Peach closer?"

"Well, yeah, but that's the problem. See, Peach just got kidnapped again--"

"Oh, dear..."

"--And I'm having some kind of unexplainable crisis over it, which is weird because-- because I don't usually do that, y'know? I mean, you've met Mario, and I have, too- he's gonna save the princess, no matter what. Don't get me wrong-- I worry for her safety and all that, but I don't worry about _kidnappings._ Those are usually taken care of without me worrying whether or not I'm gonna get my friend back."

"I understand."

"But- I was watching the news, and they said she was kidnapped, and they said that Bowser was planning to straight up _marry_ her now, for real this time. And now I'm worrying about all these things that I've never worried about before, and-- well, I needed to talk to someone, and I usually talk to Peach about these things, but she's not exactly in my options right now. I just... I needed to talk to a fellow Princess, and I needed to get another person's perspective on it. Y'know-- someone who I could relate to, but was still... different from me."

"And you thought of me."

"Yeah, you. So now I'm here, because-" she took another breath in, and started talking in a rapid-fire pace. "-because I'm freaking out and I sincerely have no idea what to do. This is waaay outta my ballpark and I don't really know what to make of it, y'know? So I'm real sorry to burden all this onto you but I'd really, truly, honestly appreciate it if--"

"Daisy."

She looked up to find Rosalina sitting forwards, her brows furrowed a bit on her face but leaving her gentle demeanor intact.

"You are not being a burden, and you don't have to apologize for anything. I am sincerely glad that you consider me someone to come to for advice, and I'm happy to help you in this. You aren't doing anything wrong in coming here to talk to me. I promise."

Daisy blinked, sighed and untensed a bit. "Okay. Thank you."

At that, Rosalina then sat back again and relaxed back into her previous state. "Now, what are your issues with this incident specifically?"

"I dunno. Mostly about what would happen if Mario fu-- er, messed up. Like, if he couldn't save her, would that be it? Would Bowser just... win, with nothing to stop him?" She turned her head, holding herself as she spoke. "I don't know what I'd do if Peach actually did get married to Bowser."

Rosalina thought for a moment. "If Mario failed, then I'm sure Luigi would stand up in his place. And," she added, "if it came down to it, I'm sure Princess Peach could handle herself against Bowser."

"I mean... yeah, you're right, but, like-- I've thought of all that, too, and it hasn't helped me any. These thoughts are so irrational that I can't just logic them away. I need to know what's really causing them and what I can do to stop it."

Rosalina deliberated over this for a while, pursing her lips in concentration. Finally, she asked, "Daisy, what do you think of Peach?"

Daisy blinked. "What?"

"Peach. Your friend. What do you think of her?"

"Oh. Um. Well. She's a sweetheart, first of all, and she cares a lot about the people around her, especially her citizens. And... she tends to get super invested in things, and she- she tends to get really invested in stuff, and- and when she tells you about it or shows it to you, her eyes light up like lanterns. I don't know how to explain it, but its one of the best-- why are you smiling at me like that?"

At once, Rosalina wiped the grin off of her face and returned to her more neutral look. "Disregard that. How long have you known her?"

"Oh, since we were, like, toddlers. We were at each others coronations, if that tells you anything."

"Would you say you two are close?"

"Of course, yeah! We tell each other everything, and we're always teaming up during sports events... She's my best friend, Rosie, I don't think I'd be agonizing over this like I am if she wasn't."

"Well, that certainly seems to be your problem, then," Rosalina began. "I can definitely say you care for Peach a great deal, perhaps even more than you realize now."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you'll realize in time, Daisy. Until then, that's all I believe I can say on the matter; you care for her, therefore you worry for her."

Daisy thought on this, considered and let it sit in her mind for a while.

And then she did something really stupid.

Maybe it was because of her mounting frustration at herself, or maybe it was because of her lingering anxiety over the abyss surrounding them, or maybe it was something else she couldn't name just then. Whatever it was, Daisy snapped.

"That's all you can say on the matter? A non-answer that just reiterates what I already know??"

Daisy got to her feet, her fists clenched at her sides.

Rosalina tilted her head in concern. "Daisy--"

"No! If I wanted a non-answer, I wouldn't have _snuck_ into Peach's castle, _flown_ across the cosmos, and landed _here_ just to be told I care about my friend. No fucking shit I care about my friend! I might as well have asked a fucking steward about this shit- it would've been just as helpful!

"Aren't you, like, a god or whatever? Can't you just tell me how I'm feeling _now_ so I can fix this bullshit already?!"

The room went silent after that. Daisy could hear the crackling of the fire, and beyond that, the sound of Lumas outside. Her chest heaved, and her nails dug into her palms as she stood there. Rosalina's brows furrowed, but even Daisy could tell she was still, on some level, concerned.

She could feel guilt crashing down on her, causing her fists to unclench and her to back away as the gravity of the situation hit her.

She came to Rosalina. She asked for help. She had no right to treat her like that, regardless of how frustrated she'd gotten.

"I... I'm sorry," she said, quietly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I'll go."

Rosalina didn't reply, and Daisy took that as a signal that she should, in fact, go. As she walked towards the doorway, Rosalina finally spoke up.

"I'm not a god, Daisy."

Daisy stopped in her tracks, and turned back to face the other princess. She was looking right at her, and it just made her feel even more guilty.

"I'm not anymore a god than you are. But I'm old. Older than most. I've seen the birth and death of the universe more times than I can count. I've watched the cycle begin, and I've watched it end, and I've watched it restart."

"You… wow." Daisy began, pondering this with heavy consideration. "So… wait- you've been here before? If it's a cycle, then I've done this already."

"No," Rosalina replied. "This is the first time this has happened. I wouldn't have asked you why you were here if it wasn't. The cycle never repeats itself in exactly the same way."

" … Oh."

"But," Rosalina added, turning her head and looking towards the fireplace instead. "I've lived long enough to see situations similar to this. I don't know what you're feeling, Daisy, but I could certainly guess."

"Then guess," Daisy pushed. "I don't know why I feel like this, and I certainly don't know what to do about it. Knowing why I'm such a mess over this would be doing me a big favor."

"If I told you my guess, you wouldn't believe it."

"You don't know that."

"And neither do you."

Sensing they would just be going around in circles, Daisy conceded at that.

"I've lived a long life, Daisy. Long enough for me to understand why this frustrates you. But there's no need to get angry in this situation."

She winced. "Sorry."

Rosalina turned back to her, and gave a small smile at that. And then she stood, and Daisy suddenly remembered she was over seven feet tall, and now she was regretting having yelled at her even more.

"Daisy?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"I can't tell you how you feel," she repeated, "... but I can definitely suggest what you should do."

"What's that?"

Rosalina paused, took in a deep breath, and began. 

"You care for Peach, yes?"

"Yeah."

"You care about her safety, yes?"

"…yes. Didn't we already do this?--"

"My question, Daisy," she continued, "is this: if Mario couldn't save the princess, if the Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom wasn't up to the task- what would you do?"

"What would I--?" Daisy raised an eyebrow, only to realize what Rosalina was insinuating.

"Wait, Rosie, I-- I couldn't _do that._ I've never even _done_ something like that before-- My thing is, like, golf, and tennis, and- and go-karting, not-- not fighting _Bowser--"_

"If the Princess was in danger, and no one else was up to the task, would you save her?"

"I'm telling you, I can't--"

"But _would you."_

Daisy stopped, giving the idea actual consideration.

If no one could save Peach, Daisy would want her to be safe. If it came down to it...

"…yes. I would. I'd risk everything just to bring her back home safely."

"Then there's your answer," Rosalina replied, moving as if to exit the library but stopping besides Daisy and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You care for her, and you want to see her safe. I don't mean to insult Mario's capabilities, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt if the princess of Sarasaland could take the lead for once."

The thought of going on her own adventure to save Peach hung in her mind as they both walked out of the library, and she could see more and more pros and cons by the second. But she wasn't done here yet, so a full consideration of the idea would have to wait, if only for a bit.

"Thank you again, Rosie," she said, turning to her so she wouldn't have to look out into the surrounding abyss again. "I really appreciate it. And, uh- I'm really sorry for, y'know…"

"Don't worry about it," she responded, flashing Daisy a smile that made her feel that same sense of safety the Lumas had given her. "In fact, I've quite enjoyed our time together. I'd love to do this again sometime." When she saw the other's uneasiness at the thought of returning to the comet observatory, she added, "In Sarasaland, of course."

"Oh- sure! … On that topic, though, how, er…" 

She looked towards the little platform she had landed on, and then gazed out into the cosmos beyond that. "How do I get back home?"

"We have another launch star," Rosalina replied. Daisy was just about to let out a sigh when she added, "… But I get the sense you aren't fond of that mode of transportation."

"Yeah, no, not at all," she laughed. "You guys wouldn't happen to have a warp pipe around here, or maybe some sort of painting-portal, would you?"

Rosalina shook her head. "No… but," she began, lifting up the thing she'd been clutching all this time. Now that Daisy could get an actual look at it, she realized it was some sort of wand. "We have other ways. I'm, er, afraid that I don't exactly know where Sarasaland is, though. Are you okay with being placed in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"As long as I don't have to travel through space again, I'm fine with wherever you put me."

Rosalina smiled. "Fair enough." She lifted the wand slightly, and Daisy turned to look at her when she did. "Are you ready to go now?"

"Uh.. yeah, but- can I ask you something real quick?"

Rosalina lowered her hand, and raised an eyebrow.

"When.. when Mario was here, when he-- when he was helping you, did… did you ever consider helping him on missions or whatever?"

Rosalina thought for a moment, then shrugged. "It occurred to me, yes. But I had things to do then," she looked towards a group of Lumas, playing and twirling near the garden. "Things to take care of." 

For a moment, Daisy felt discouraged in her new ambitions. 

"But," Rosalina added, turning back to face Daisy, "if joining Mario meant saving the people I cared about, I would have done so in a heartbeat."

"...thanks, Rosie."

"Anytime, Daisy."

With that, Rosalina lifted her wand, waved it towards the other, and watched as she disappeared in a singular flash of glimmer and starlight. Rosalina was just about to head back towards the library when Polari floated back towards her side.

"Well?" He asked, "Is everything okay with Princess Daisy?"

"Oh, she's just fine, Polari," she reiterated with a smile. "but she's got it _bad."_

"Got what bad?"

"…I'll tell you later. Now, about that galaxy you were telling me about…"

* * *

Daisy reappeared back home in an instant, with no headache, vertigo, or anxiety included this time around. She'd been put just outside the entrance to Toad town- a relatively short distance away from the warp pipes that would take her back to Sarasaland.

It was enough distance for her to think, anyways, about what Rosalina had proposed in their little meeting. She'd considered it in the past, of course; a thousand unspoken words about joining Luigi on his next ghost-busting adventure or helping Mario on a Koopa-occupied section of Sarasaland sat behind her lips, and they sat unspoken for countless reasons. Even now, her mind was running through every issue she could think of with this plan.

Where would she even go, what would she even do? What if something happened to her along the way, what would become of her kingdom? What if Mario rejected her help, or what if he got angry with her? How would she even find him, anyways? She only caught a glimpse of the news' report on his location, and there was always the possibility that that wasn't even reliable enough for her to do anything.

She took a deep breath, steeled herself and relaxed her shoulders. _One thing at a time,_ she told herself. _Take one thing at a time._

She would find Mario. She would visit some nearby kingdoms, ask around, and go from there. If something were to happen to her, the Royal Guard would step in to save her, and if it came down to it, one of her siblings- Marigold, if she remembered the line of succession correctly- would take over. She knew the kingdom would be in good hands.

And then there was the issue of Mario. Admittedly, she didn't know the guy super well, so her judgement of how he would react was, admittedly, flawed. But she definitely knew he liked to work alone, usually, with an exception given to Luigi or Peach or some lucky Toad or- in some extreme cases- Bowser.

As she stepped up to enter the warp pipe back to her kingdom, she realized that she was kind of an outlier here. She'd never been allowed on these adventures, and maybe- just maybe- that had been for a reason.

She could be loud at times (a result of her upbringing in a large family), which probably wouldn't mesh well with someone as quiet as Mario. In the same vein, he tended to be patient and easy-going, and she was anything but. She wasn't the most acrobatic, either: she couldn't wall jump, or long jump, or anything like that, so she would almost definitely be a burden in those platform-heavy defense areas that Bowser liked so much. Point is, she could see him getting upset with her for one reason or the other.

And then, she thought, there was always the possibility that he'd not only get upset with her, but that he'd tell Peach something unflattering about the entire situation afterwards. She could picture it now; _"Princess, you wouldn't-a believe what-a happened on the way ova' here! Princess Daisy got-a in my way and everything! She was a major-a road block, oh-yeah!"_

…… Okay, maybe that was a little hyperbolic. Mario didn't _really_ sound like that, and he wasn't one to get mad or hold a grudge that easily. At his worst, he'd maybe ask her to go home. 

She was just about to brush it off just like everything else when, as she exited the pipe and began her trek back to the castle, she thought of something even worse to take its place.

What if she was the reason Mario was too late?

What if she was a little too loud or a little too brash at just the wrong moment, and she became the direct cause of the thing she _didn't_ want to happen?

Sure, she thought, that was why she was considering this; if Mario failed, she could step in and make sure the princess was safe. But for all of her brawn and bravery, she was still inexperienced in adventuring; she wouldn't even know how to track Bowser, let alone defeat the guy. And even if Mario _did_ allow her to tag along, and even if he _did_ end up fine, what about her? She could stomp a hundred goombas and fight a thousand koopa troopas, she could dodge countless thwomps and defeat any hammer bro. thrown her way, but the moment she'd be faced with an especially big gap or a path-blocking puzzle, she'd be out of luck. There was no way she could join Mario directly without the whole thing falling apart on her.

If she was going to do this, she needed to stay close to Mario, but far enough not to draw attention to herself. She needed a plan for if something really _did_ happen to Mario, she needed help, she needed...

Just as she slipped into the Sarasaland castle, it hit her like a block of bricks.

She couldn't do this alone. She needed help, and she knew exactly who to go to.

Disregarding any previous thoughts about being quiet as to not draw attention to herself, she ran up the stairway, rushed back into her room, and began looking for something in particular. In most cases, she would send a letter of some kind- not just because of tradition, but because she simply enjoyed and preferred letter-writing over anything else. But that was far too slow, and she knew it would never get to him in time for it to matter.

As she found what she was looking for, she sat down on her bed and began to type into the little communicator, thinking to herself all the while. She'd have to figure out transportation, and what to pack, and where to go- but considering how far he was from the castle, she'd have all the time in the world to figure it out.

She hit send, and went to find her suitcase before she could watch for a reply.

_[hey, luigi! can we meet up soon? It's important.]_

Now all she had to do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise im not gonna write out marios dialouge like that again lsdjlskdf
> 
> next chapter should be considerably shorter (but more dialouge heavy) than this one. hope u enjoyed <3


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